CUET UG Exam Pattern 2026: Marking Scheme, Exam Day Requirements & Total Marks

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has made some major changes in the CUET UG Exam Pattern 2026 including the exam mode, duration, number of subjects, question format, etc. The mode of the CUET UG exam has been changed from Hybrid to exclusively Online - Computer Based Test (CBT) mode. The General Test has been redesigned to the General Aptitude Test (GAT).

The number of subjects has been decreased from 63 to 37 and admission for dropped subjects will be made on the basis of the GAT scores. Earlier, the students were required to opt for 6 subjects but now, they have to select 5 subjects. Candidates should know that the authorities have standardised the sectional time limit to 60 minutes from 45 to 60 minutes. Now, the optional question format has been removed, from now on, it is mandatory for the aspirants to appear in all the questions. Students should know that to practise well for the exam, it is crucial to learn about the CUET UG pattern 2026.

This article conveys the CUET UG exam pattern 2026 details such as the exam mode, time duration, marking scheme, section-wise pattern, and more.

Students should dedicatedly prepare for the CUET UG with the help of its exam pattern prescribed by the NTA – the conducting body. Explore the below-given table to get an overview about the CUET UG 2026 exam pattern:

* Aspirants preparing as per the exam pattern have to first ensure that they fall under the CUET UG eligibility criteria 2026 and complete the CUET UG registration 2026.

The UGC has decreased the number of subjects from 63 to 37, out of which 20 foreign languages and 6 domain specific subjects have been removed; following are the details of deleted subjects:

• Foreign Languages: French, Spanish, German, Nepali, Persian, Italian, Arabic, Sindhi, Kashmiri, Konkani, Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Manipuri, Santhali, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Japanese, Russian, and Chinese.

• Domain-Specific Subjects: Entrepreneurship, Teaching Aptitude, Fashion Studies, Tourism, Legal Studies, and Engineering Graphics.

Note: Students should know that the admission in all the deleted subjects including foreign languages and domain specific subjects will be based on the marks obtained in the General Aptitude Test (GAT).

The detailed question-wise pattern of the CUET UG is described in the below-listed table:

Candidates are required to have a clear and deep knowledge about the section-wise time specified for the CUET UG 2026 exam. There will be 3 sections in the exam paper and to solve each section / part, students will be provided with 60 Minutes (1 Hour).

Note: PwD candidates will be provided with additional 20 minutes for each hour of the examination. They can also avail a scribe facility if they hold a minimum 40% of specified disability.

Check out the below-stated points to get clear understanding of the CUET UG marking scheme:

• For a right answer, +5 Marks will be granted.
• There is a negative marking.
• Out of all the given choices for a question, if there are multiple correct options and candidates have marked any one of them, then he / she will be awarded with +5 Marks.
• In any case, if all the available options of a question are right, +5 Marks will be given to those candidates who have attempted the question.
• +5 Marks will be provided to the students who have marked the answer, if a question is identified wrong / a question is dropped.

* Interested candidates who want to attempt the exam should consider following the CUET UG syllabus 2026 along with the CUET UG paper pattern 2026 to score good marks.